Principals Approve New Contract In N.Y.C.

New York City principals and assistant principals have agreed to
trade in some of their long-standing job security for substantial pay
raises, setting the stage for a new era of school management and
accountability in the nation's largest school district.

The contract ratified Jan. 20 by members of the Council of
Supervisors and Administrators allows district administrators more
direct supervision and speeds the process for removing low-performing
principals and assistant principals.

Union and district leaders hailed the announcement of the new contract
for administrators, who have been without one for four years. The
agreement represents "an agenda that is right for our system," said
Donald Singer, the president of the 3,700-member union.

It helps "establish a rational managerial and accountability system"
between principals and supervisors in the 1.1 million-student district,
said Lewis H. Spence, the system's deputy chancellor for
operations.

Though the union's membership approved the contract by a 2-1 ratio,
some principals are raising questions about the new system, which some
say ends tenure as they once knew it.

The contract raises most principals' pay by 33 percent, but requires
them to work 12-month schedules with five weeks of vacation rather than
the previous 10-month schedule with an extended break. The new calendar
and slightly longer workdays will allow principals and some assistants
to be paid extra for operating summer schools, Saturday academies, and
after-school programs.

Comparable Salaries

High-achieving principals, as determined by performance reviews,
could qualify for raises of up to 70 percent, lifting some salaries
above $100,000. The agreement also allows the chancellor to offer
raises at his discretion for strong job performance.

The average New York City principal's salary is about $75,000, and
will rise to more than $95,000 under the new contract, according to the
Council of Supervisors and Administrators.

"We are now back to being competitive with the suburbs," Mr. Singer
said. "I do believe the exit to the suburbs is going to slow down and
maybe turn around."

In exchange for higher pay, principals face more direct scrutiny.
Low-achieving principals could face swifter removal if they fail to
meet specific goals. Appeals will be heard by an arbitrator within 60
days for principals and 150 days for assistant principals—a
process that in the past has in some cases taken years.

The state education commissioner is the final level of appeal.

Some administrators fear that the pact's new accountability methods
could be used against principals for political or personality reasons
as well as job performance.

"If it's abused, we're back to the same confrontations we had
before," Mr. Singer said. "It has to be used appropriately,
expeditiously, and is not to be seen as a document that will be
abused."

Jesse Lazarus, the principal of the 1,200-student East New York High
School of Transit Technology, a technical-career school in Brooklyn,
said he was concerned about how the contract would be implemented.

"The principals have given an awful lot to the system," he said.
"What we deserve is a fair process."

District leaders, however, believe strong principals will only
benefit from the plan, Mr. Spence said. The contract "reflects
confidence in the great majority of principals that they can meet the
challenge in making the change," he said. "They'll more than survive.
They'll flourish."

The contract extends through March 2001, and is retroactive to
February 1996. Principals will receive limited back pay in a series of
payments throughout the year.

Negotiations are scheduled to begin soon on the next principals'
contract, while teacher-contract talks between the district and the
United Federation of Teachers are just getting under way.
Accountability measures in the principals' agreement may have some
influence on the contract negotiations with the American Federation of
Teachers affiliate, Mr. Singer said.

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